
Letters to the Editor
I have worked in Botley for many years, and two years ago my partner
and I bought a house near Elms Parade. I have lived in Oxford for 12
years so I know the city and its neighbourhoods well.
After reading many Sprout issues, I gave up as I never felt it represented
my views, nor my neighbours', work colleagues', or anyone who lives in
the 21st Century (I am well past middle age, so don't assume I'm a
millennial!). So I never read it anymore. However my partner got hold of
the last issue and was surprised to read the letter published on p3 titled
"The heart has its reasons." I was very pleased that you finally decided
to publish such views. I couldn't agree more with the person who wrote
the letter, which summarises very well the views of the silent majority.
For years I have walked every day from Minns to the Botley shops, well
before the new development was even a topic. To me, Elms Parade has
always been a depressing, poorly kept area with nothing appealing, and
if I go there it is because I don't have time to prepare a lunch box. The
only attractive places are Taylors, the dry cleaners, the butchers and the
florist. Everything else is, and has always been for as long as I can
remember, a bunch of grumpy, dirty, unkempt shops and cafés. I even
visited the library as soon as I started working in the area years ago and
was dismayed at its state and atmosphere.
Now that Botley has the opportunity to get a revamp, potentially nice
places, new architecture that is not an eyesore, I can't comprehend why
people keep complaining and trying to block its development. Object to a
cinema??? A hotel?? Why would you want to object to all that? What is
there to preserve in Botley? A bunch of old, musty shops, an incredibly
ugly, unkempt group of buildings, uneven & dangerous pavements, lots
of potholes, and patches of overgrown bushes covered in litter. It's been
like that all the time I've lived in Oxford, and it's not fair to blame this on
the new development. And how do you know that the new place won't be
a community hub? For starters, it will be up to code and accessible for
people with mobility issues, wheelchairs and scooters.
Finally, to those that keep nagging about how the new development is
going to affect traffic, I'd advise they do as I do: take the bus.
Well done for publishing a letter that brings a breath of fresh air to your
publication. I'd like to think that this shows The Sprout's willingness to
produce a less biased publication.
With best wishes, Carolina